Weekend Adventures

I hope all of you in the path of Irene are staying safe!

This is what I'm up to this weekend!


I'm working on using up this can of primer by painting the walls of the upstairs landing.

Slowly but surely, I will eliminate all the baby-poop colors that came with this house!

I'm also working on some projects for Sissy to help her study!

What are you up to this weekend?

The Mis-tint Paint Challenge

I have an idea. Call me crazy, but wouldn't it be interesting to see what you could create if you had to use a surprise mis-tint paint in your house? I think I'm watching too much reality TV. I was starting to prime the dining room floor, determined to use up what I had, when I got to thinking about oops paint.

Here's what I'm thinking:

Get someone you know to go grab the first can of mis-tint interior paint they can find. No looking at the color, and you don't get to be in the store. Once you get it, you have to incorporate it into your home. Maybe it's a gallon and you paint the powder room. Maybe it's a test sample, and you create custom artwork or paint a chair.  No matter what, you have to use it in your home.

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I think it'd be a challenge to my creativity- to grow as a designer by using a "surprise ingredient" that you may not even personally like at the beginning. How can I incorporate this ingredient into my home, and make it something I will love.

Who's with me? Any takers? Is this an interesting idea, or am I totally insane?

Custom Art for the Master Bedroom

One of the things I knew I had to incorporate into my bedroom renovation was custom artwork. Since Prince Charming is a photographer, I picked out two prints that matched my pink and green scheme.

Now, I just needed to get some custom framing, cheap.

I found these two at Goodwill for $5 each. I loved the detail on the frame, and they were in great condition.

First, I took the paper off the back and lifted all the little tabs holding the original artwork in place.

Once everything was out, I spray painted the frames silver.

Now it was time to reassemble my art!

I had mats cut at Hobby Lobby to fit my prints and my frames.

Then, to reassemble:

Put the frame face down on a clean surface.

Put the cleaned glass in, making sure not to get fingerprints all over it.

Then put your mat in.

Now, put your picture in, securing it if needed with acid free tape.

Now for the fun part. Putting all those tabby things back down. I recommend a flat head screwdriver as the tool of choice. Be gentle, the metal is thin and it will break on you! ( not that I know from experience or anything)

To finish the back, I took kraft paper and cut it slightly larger than my frame. I put tape all around the outside edge of the back, then stuck the paper on. Spray lightly with water. As the paper dries, it will draw up and create a tight back.

Hang your finished art!

I love how it looks in my room. Original designer art at the fraction of the cost!

Progress on the Stairs

If you remember, back in Feburary I  pulled up all the carpet on the stairs in my house. I'm finally getting around to finishing that project, starting with painting all the railings.

Before, they were stained and painted, and drove me nuts! I'm big on things matching, and this stain didn't go with ANY of the other wood tones in the house- furniture or hardwood floors!

I washed everything down to begin, then used my sanding sealer to rough the surface and prepare it for paint. 

After it dried, two coats of Zinnzer primer

Then two coats of  Semi gloss white paint (the color straight from the can)


A HUGE improvement!

Now, on to the rest of the stairs and the stairwell walls!

Guest Bedroom Makeover!

Memorial Day weekend, before I started in on Kristen's bathroom re-do,  I tackled my guest bedroom.

I'd taken up the carpet way back when I did my bedroom, so I just needed to finish this thing!

I started by scraping the ceiling and painting it. Like I did  in my master bedroom.

Then, I painted the walls a silvery gray color to match the black, white, and red color scheme. The trim got a fresh coat of bright white paint- my favorite!

The drapes I bought several years ago at Target were way too short, so I used fusible hem tape and some red cotton broadcloth to add a banding at the bottom.


Then I painted the floors the same chocolate brown. This time, I took the lazy girl route. I didn't wash, I didn't prime, I didn't even cut in. I just started rolling that paint on.

Alex, my best helper, refuses to let me trim his nails, so he's made some gouges in the polyurethane on my bedroom floor. I wanted the guestroom to have a fix-able finish, so I decided to try floor wax. Like in Karate Kid, " wax on, wax off".

And here's the finished product!

Spray Painted Lamps

As part of my girly bedroom makeover, I updated some of my lamps.
First, I taped off everything electrical.

Then, I used liquid sander to degloss the surface so the spray paint would stick.  If you’ve never used it before, this stuff is AWESOME!

Then came two light and even coats of spray paint in a satin finish.

I love how it adds a fun punch of color to the space and updates an old lamp into something fun and exciting!
I also did a turquoise lamp to add fun color to my
entryway!

Bedroom Makeover: Floors

 

The carpet in my bedroom is in rough shape. Has been since I moved in. And I keep meaning to do something about it.

So while we were doing the makeover,  I decided to rip out the carpet and paint my subfloors.

I can’t afford to put in hardwood flooring like I so dearly want yet, but this is a good temporary solution.

First step was to remove the carpet. I cut it into sections with a utility knife so I could get it downstairs by myself.

Then, pull up all the tack strip, pad, and staples.

Once you have a smooth floor, you can fill in any imperfections with wood filler and sand. Or not.  I chose not.

Sweep, Vacuum, and Wash the floor really well to get a good clean surface to paint on.

 

Following the method I used for the walls, I cut in around the edges with my favorite Zinsser 123 primer, which seals the bare wood.

I then rolled on a thin and even coat. Let it dry!

Next were two coats of chocolate brown flat paint. The color is Sherwin Williams Turkish Coffee, mixed into Valspar flat paint.

Then came three coats of water-based polyurethane. Follow the directions on the can! DO NOT SHAKE THE CAN, or you will have air bubbles everywhere, ruining your pretty floors.

I used a synthetic pad applicator, overlapping the wet edge to ensure a smooth finish. Let dry for two hours, or until not tacky. Then sand with the grain using 220 grit sandpaper. Get all the dust up and make sure the floor is clean before you put on the second coat. Repeat for a total of three coats. 

The hardest part is letting the final coat dry for 72 hours before putting furniture back in!

Bedroom Makeover: Paint

 

After we scraped the ceiling free from the popcorn, Mom and I set about to paint.

The ceiling was first up, getting good ol’ Ceiling White.  I’m debating putting a fun color or stencil up there, but I wanted to live with white for a while first.

While the ceiling was drying, we washed all the dust and popcorn stuff off the walls and let them dry.

Then it was time to paint the walls. I’m a big fan of Valspar paint from Lowe’s,  and had picked their color Romano for the bedroom. It’s lighter and warmer than the Desert Fortress color of the bathroom.

Normally, I use Zinsser 123 primer, with two coats of paint on top.  I love the high hide as well as its ability to seal and cover oil based paint, which I seem to have quite a bit of in this house.

This time, I let Mom and the paint desk gal talk me into the Valspar Signature Paint and Primer in one.   I don’t know that it’s worth the extra money, but it covered nicely in two coats.  I guess two is better than three. But maybe it would have only needed two coats with a tinted primer.  (Which I haven’t bothered with before)

While we were painting, mom shared a tip with me.  She wet her brush and roller before painting- you want them damp, not dripping.  That way, the paint goes on more smoothly, and less is trapped in the bristles- saving paint!

I don’t always remember to do it- but it does help!

The other tip she shared was to get the extra fuzz off your roller covers with tape before you use them.  Just take a piece of tape and use it like a lint roller to get all that fuzz. You want it on the tape, not in your paint, right?

I’m so excited about how the room is shaping up!

Annie makes her debut!

If you remember, I found Annie a few months ago here. It took me forever, but I finally got her finished!

Here's the before:

And here she is after:

To make her look so pretty and matching, I

Unscrewed the seat and set it aside to recover while watching the Georgia game

Sanded her down until the finish was dull and spots of bare wood were showing

Washed the entire piece with soap and water and let dry

Paint three very light coats of pure white glossy interior latex paint ( I used a Valspar sample can) with a good quality brush.

While the paint is drying, take the staples out from the existing cover. I did this on the living room floor watching football. I use a screwdriver to pry the staples up, then pull them out with needle nose pliers. There's probably an easier way, but this works for me.

Take the old cover off.  If you need to add new foam/ padding, do so now.

To recover:

Lay a piece of muslin or white fabric on a flat surface ( like the floor) and smooth out. Cut out around the seat bottom, leaving a generous amount to staple with.

Pull up the top side taut, and put a staple in. Repeat with the opposite side.

Now pull up the right side until tight, and put one staple in. Do the left. Now all four sides should have one staple holding the fabric tight.

Go back to the top side, and start adding additional staples. Add 3 or 4, then go do the bottom. Repeat around the sides until you've stapled the hell out of it.

Pull the point of the corner in to the center and staple. Fold the wings in neatly, and staple to make pretty corners.

Repeat the entire process with your pretty fabric.

Once that's done, hammer in any staples that decided to kick back.

Put the seat on the chair, and screw it back in.

Display the chair in a prominent area, and mention to everyone you know about your project.

Again, here she is:

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